Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Marie Bachmann
Hi Kristin Marie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Thanks for reaching out and for the questions!
I’m a sculptor and an artist. Before that, I was a lawyer in the energy industry and an economic consultant with Deloitte and Ernst & Young. I started my career as a research analyst at the business school at Rice University.
I’m originally from west Texas. I grew up in the theater, and I started ballet at the age of three. Dance has played a pivotal role throughout my life. I’ve always been interested in space and movement and the body’s experience with both.
I moved to Houston in 1998 to study at Rice, and I’ve spent over ten years here. I’ve also spent eight years in downtown NYC, three years in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I’ve travelled extensively throughout Western Europe, Latin America, and most recently, parts of Asia.
I’m a graduate of Parsons School of Design (2018), Stanford Law School (2013), and Rice University (2003).
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My life has been a winding road – from being a research analyst to a consultant to a lawyer, and now a sculptor and an artist. I could not have predicted where my life was going to go at 15 or 25 or 35. And now, at 45, I still can’t. The biggest challenge is trusting the process.
When I left Big Law and moved back to New York to study at Parsons, I wondered if all the hours that I had spent prepping cases or editing law review articles at Stanford would matter. I’ve realized that those experiences helped me to develop a certain level of dedication, and they taught me how to structure arguments. This plays a huge role in how I work today.
Steve Jobs gave a Commencement Address at Stanford back in 2005, and he said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.” Sometimes we question whether the things we do matter. In art and in life, they always do – things always connect.
I wouldn’t be the artist who I am today if I had taken the current traditional path and studied art as an undergrad and then got an MFA. My way of thinking and my work are different because my life has been different. That experience comes out in the work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a sculptor and an artist focused on exploring what art is and how to create it.
I work at the intersection of art, design, and craft, and I develop artwork through the physical act of exploring and making. I think through that process, and the work develops from it.
In my current body of work, At the Still Point, I employ a variety of weave structures to explore the boundaries between drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation, and to think through the relationship between textiles and art history.
Basically, I explore space. And ultimately, I’m interested in elegant form.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’m always exploring, listening, and learning.
My work and my way of existing in the world set me apart from some and bring me closer to others.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My biggest mentors are probably other artists. Richard Serra, Donald Judd, Frank Stella, Charles Ray, etc. I’ve never met them, but I’ve learned a lot about art and what it means to be an artist from their work and their thinking. Always reach for the top shelf!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kristinmariebachmann.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kristinmariebachmann/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kristin-marie-bachmann/
Image Credits
Art Images: Paul Hester
KMB Image: Alexandra Ryoo
